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Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

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- INDOOR SHOOTING STAND. No. 581,352. I Patented Apr. 27, 189-7.

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OTTO CONRAD KRAUSE, OF ZWICKAU, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO KIRMSE BROS, OF ADORF, GERMANY.

INDOOR SHOOTING-STAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 581 ,352, dated. April 27, 1897.

Application filed April 15, 1896v Serial No. 587,667. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO CONRAD KRAUSE, a citizen of the Kingdom of Saxony, and aresident of Zwickau, in the Kingdom of Saxony and German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indoor Shooting-Stands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a shooting game or apparatus designed for social entertainment in private residences and in public places, such as hotels, restaurants, club-rooms, and the like.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which will be fitted with suitable appliances connected with the target, which will produce a sound or sounds imitating the cry of animals, which will cause the animals todrop or fall down, and the plates having pictures or images thereon to spring out from concealing-screens, or prizes such as sweetmeats, delivered when the targets are struck by an object projected toward it, such as a shot or small ball thrown from a spring gun or cannon, the said apparatus being so arranged that it may be easily reset or brought back to its first or original position.

My invention consists in certain devices and combinations of parts to carry out the objects aforesaid, and it also consists in a certain construction and arrangement of table or stand and cannon thereon to be used in connection with my improved target, as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure l is a front elevation of the target and stand with the gun or cannon removed therefrom; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof with the stand extension-bar broken away and the gun in position; Fig. 3, an enlarged elevation of the target with the casing thereof in section, showing the mechanism therein from the rear; Fig. 4, a similar enlarged vertical cross-section through the target-casin g, showing two target-buttons,one for releasing a holder containing prizes-sweetmeats, for instance-and the other for releasing the figure of an animal, so that it may fall down; Fig. 5, a similar cross-section of a target-casing with two other target-buttons with the mechanism connected therewith, the one serving to release a distended bellows connected with a reed instrument for producing the sound of an animal and the other for releasing a picture or figure, so that it may spring out from behind its screen; Fig. 6, a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 3, but with the prize-holding device left out and some of the parts shown in a different position; Fig. 7, a vertical cross-section of a portion of the target-casing and a target or button arranged for the release of a plate or picture when hit by a shot; Fig. 8, a back view of the front part of the target-casing with a plate and other details which serve to replace the pictures, figures, &c., after they have been actuated by striking the target-buttons, as will hereinafter appear.

The target-casing A contains the mechanism for operating the plates, figures, &c., and is fixed on a table B, which is adj ustably held upon a stand C by straps D in such manner that the table-frame B may be moved endwise therein to suit the convenience of the player.

Target-buttons 1, 2, 3, i, 5, and 6 are each suspended from the casing by spring-plates and connected with special mechanism supported behind the screen a of the target-casing and connected therewith through slotted openings a in the front of the casing, the said target-buttons serving each to release its mechanism upon being hit by a projectile. Target-button 1 operates upon the trigger mechanism of the sliding picture E, and target-button 5 acts upon that of the sliding picture F, the picture E being shown in dotted lines behind its screen 6 and the other, F, as withdrawn from above its screen f and exposed to view. when hit by a shot, act to release the trigger mechanism of a distended bellows G, used in connection with a suitable reed instrument g for producing a sound resembling that of the cry of an animal. The target-button 3, when hit, releases a spring-actuated tubular holder H, which may contain candy, lozenges,

or other prizes. The target-button 6 is s'us- The target-buttons 2 and 4,

pended from the case and when struck re leases the figure of an animal I, which is pivoted upon an axis 1' and is turned by the action of a spring 1" and caused to perform a backward movement and fall over.

The various plates, figures, &c., caused to appear by striking the target-buttons may be returned to their original positions by means of an oscillating rod 7c, supported in bearings upon the table and provided at its outer end with a handle K and at its inner end with a crank-disk 7a, which latter is connected by a crank-pin 0 with a connecting-rod O, the upper end of which rod is connected with a vertically-sliding plate L by a wrist-pin 0 and also through said plate and certain levers hereinafter described and connected therewith to pull down the various sliding plates and figure-supportin g devices to reengage them with their various trigger mechanisms and to hold them in their concealed or normal position.

The screen a, as shown in Fig. 3, has holes a fitted with wire network opposite the reeds or other sounding devices 9 upon the bellows G and inside the casing, and which are sounded when the target-buttons 2 4 are.

struck and the inflated springactuated bellows G released.

The bellows G, arranged upon each side of the casing, open toward each other near the middle thereof and are actuated by the following-described mechanism: Levers M, pivoted to the back and central line of the easing by a pin m, which passes through a slot Z in the plate L hereinbefore described, and operated by the rocking shaft- 7a, are provided at their free ends or at their swinging ends with slots 912?, which receive pins 9 upon the bellows G. The levers M are pushed downwardly to open or distend the bellows by means of pins Z projecting from the back of the plate L, and which press upon the top and recessed edges of the levers M to force them down when the plate L is drawn down against the action of springs Z which support it, which latter are secured to the table B. The bellows are closed up to sound the reeds g by means of springs N, secured at one end to the bottom of the bellows G and at the other end to suspension-link catches N, sus pended from the top of the casing. The links N have notches or catches a, which engage with a pin 9 upon the vibrating end of the bellows and hold the bellows in their distended position against the action of the springs N. The target-buttons 2 4 are suspended from the casing by spring-plates n and have projecting rearwardly therefrom push-rods of, which latter press against the link N when the target-buttons are struck so as to release the bellows and sound the reeds or other wind instruments connected therewith. hen the plates L are drawn down by the oscillating shaft 7a and connecting-rod target-buttons 1 and 5.

0, the levers M will press down the bellows G until the pins engage with the catches of the links 1\', and thus reset the bellows.

The plates for holding the sliding pictures E and F are operated by the following-de scribed mechanism: At the lower ends and back of each of said plates E and F are secured links E and F, respectively, by pins which pass through the slotted openings at in the front of the casing and are provided near their middle with pins 6 and f, which pass through the slots 0" in the outer ends of levers R, which latter are pivoted at their inner ends by pin 1" to the front of the casing, the said pin r passing through a central vertical slot i in the sliding plate L, which will allow the said plate to move freely up and down and also provide a fixed fulcrum for the levers R. The said levers R are both held up to raise the plates E and F by means of the coiled springs S, secured at one end to the I lever B and at their other end to the top of the casing. The levers R are pushed down against the action of the springs S by pins Z, projecting from the back of the plate L, until they are caught by the spring-actuated These buttons are each held by a light spring e, fixed to the screen-plate, which hold the target-buttons pressed outwardly, and said spring-plates then engage with projections upon the plates E and F and hold said plates down against the action of the levers R and springs S until the target-buttons are struck and the pictureplates thrown up. The target-button 3 is suspended from the casing by a spring-plate t and is provided with an inwardly-projecting pin 15, which presses against a spring-actuated catch 27, secured to the vertical moving bottom h of the magazine H, which engages with a pin-hole in the casing. A coiled spring 71, is arranged between the fixed bottom h of the magazine H and the movable bottom h thereof,and when the spring-catch t is pressed in by the pin upon the target-button and will disengage the catch 5 from the casing the movable bottom of the magazine will be released and thrown up to deliverits contents. Instead of the magazine H a figure may be attached to the movable bottom h, which may be caused to dance or spread its limbs in any well-known or preferred manner. The magazine or image supported upon the verticallymoving bottom may be pressed down by hand to reen gage with the trigger mechanism or in any other suitable or preferred manner.

The table B may be adjusted upon a stand 0, as hereinbefore described, and a small gun representing a field-piece of artillery, as shown in Fig. 2, may be pivotally supported and adjusted upon the end of the table opposite the target and maybe used in a well-known manner for target practice.

The targets herein described maybe made of larger size or dimensions and be used for ICC gallery practice with guns or pistols of various kinds, and the endwise movement of the table upon the stand by means of the strap will admit of the apparatus being placed in a position to suit the convenience of the operator.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a game apparatus the combination with the target of a bellows and an alarm sounded by the escape of air from said bellows, and a target-button adapted to release said bellows when the alarm is to be sounded substantially as described.

2. In a game apparatus the combination with a stand of a target, a bellows, kept normally distended to actuate an alarm, a target-button and spring-actuated push-pin and a latch for releasing the said bellows, sub- 

